Revelation
by prospective
Summary: Takes place right after the events of the mid-credits scene of Spider-Man: Far From Home. How will people react to J. Jonah Jameson's unexpected hit piece on New York City's friendly neighborhood web-slinger? Identity Revealed Fic. Oneshots and a Short Story.
1. Chapter 1

**July 31, 2024: 1:04 PM**

"_Spider-Man's real_—" Quentin Beck apprehensively glanced over his shoulders. "_Spider-Man's real name is P_—" He was cut off as the screen briefly fizzled off and on. "_Spider-Man's name is Peter Parker_!"

Everyone in the deli-grocery gasped in surprise. They had all gathered around the TV behind the counter, anxiously listening to the shocking news that came out of nowhere. Now, plastered on the screen, was a headshot of a familiar teenager. A teenager Mr. Delmar knew so well, too well.

"Peter?" Mr. Delmar's employee said.

"He killed Mysterio?" someone from the crowd added.

"But he was such a nice kid."

"It's always the nice ones."

"This planet is filling up with psychos."

It can't be. He knew Peter, and he never found a bad bone in the kid. Sarcastic, sure. But never did he ever expect the kid to go as far as to push back against a bully. He can't have been Spider-Man, much less be the one who killed Mysterio.

-oOo-

"What the shit?" Flash Thompson said, jumping up from his couch.

He kept his eyes on the TV screen, at Peter Parker's face, who had apparently been Spider-Man all along.

"What the shit?" he said louder.

"Since when did I let you speak like that, Eugene?" his father called from the living room.

Flash ran outside his room and shook his dad on the shoulders. "What the shit?"

_SMACK_! He had been slapped.

-oOo-

Betty Brant double tapped her phone screen to like an Instagram post of a cute puppy. They are so adorable.

Her phone rang in her hands and a Snapchat notification popped up at the top of her screen.

She opened a picture of a ragged Flash with a red hand mark on his left cheek. The caption read, "_What the shit_"

Betty sighed and sent a chat reply: "_What do you want?_"

"_Peter is spiderman and he killed mysterio_"

"_Go away_"

She went back to scrolling on her Instagram, but her phone rang again. This time, a YouTube link had been sent to her. Betty rolled her eyes and clicked on it.

"This better be good, Flash," she muttered.

It was a minute-long clip from a news podcast called the Daily Bugle. She watched it in its entirety, and when it ended, so many things were running in her head that she wasn't able to think clearly.

Once she managed to regain her ability to move, she fumbled to hold her phone upright. She went straight to her contacts and texted Jason Ionello: "_I HAVE BREAKING NEWS_! _MEET ME AT THE RECORDING STUDIO AT SCHOOL ASAP_!"

-oOo-

Brad Davis was doing push-ups, thinking of all the ways he could steal MJ back from Peter. Suddenly, breaking news appeared on his TV screen. He was shocked at first, but he liked what he saw very much.

He promptly grabbed his phone texted MJ: "_Yooo did you see the breaking news about peter_?"

He waited several minutes for her to reply, but she didn't answer. He decided to send her another text.

"_Peter is spiderman_!_ I knew it all along. Dont worry mj ill be there for you if you need a shoulder to cry on_"

_This number has blocked you_. _Your messages will not be seen_.

"Oh."

-oOo-

May Parker was working on her desk when Lily, her co-worker, came to her for a hug. She didn't know what to say, so she just hugged her back.

"Is everything fine, Lily?" she asked.

"Oh, May, didn't you hear the news?"

"News?" May replied, worried. "What news?"

"It's about your nephew?"

May stood up. "Oh, my…" Her hands came up to cover her mouth. "What happened to him?"

"May, you might want to sit down for this," Lily said quietly, comforting her back.

May slapped her arms away and sternly said: "Tell me, now! What happened to Peter?"

Lily opened her mouth as if to say something, but no words came out.

"Never mind. I'll see for myself." She sat back down to her chair and went to her computer. Her hands were shaking, but she typed as fast as she could.

_petre parker_, she Googled. Already, there were thousands of articles written about her nephew, name spelt wrong notwithstanding.

"_Spider-Man Is a Menace to Society_!_ Identity Revealed_!"

"_Spider-Man, a Murderer_? _Identity Revealed_!"

"_The Truth Has Come Out About Our Web-Slinging Hero, Now a Villain_._ Identity Revealed_!_"_

"_The Next Iron Man? More Like the Next Thanos_!_ Spider-Man's Secret Identity Leaked_!"

"Fuck," May whispered.

In front of her, Angella, her nosy deskmate, was tutting and shaking her head slowly. "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Aunt May saw red.

-oOo-

Roger Harrington, a very popular science teacher at Midtown High, most known for his completely stable mental health, was drinking at a bar. Just a few hours after his lunch. Really, he could be doing anything else if he wanted to, but it was summer. He had all the time in the world, and he had it all for himself.

No wife to share it with.

No children.

No friends.

All on his own.

Mr. Harrington shook his head and downed another shot.

He was about to go for another one, but what he saw on the bar television made the contents of his mouth projectile back into his shot glass.

"Ah, that explains everything," he said, drunkenly.


	2. Chapter 2

**July 31, 2024: 1:28 PM**

"Come on, Peter," Ned pleaded to his phone. "Pick up."

"_Hey, it's Peter_._ I'm probably busy right now. Please leave a message_."

"Jeez," Ned said, pulling at his hair. "This is such a disaster."

It had only been a little over twenty minutes since the breaking news was broadcasted all over New York City, and the internet was already exploding with stories and theories. None of them were good.

"Doesn't anybody ever question what they read on the internet?"

_Knock, knock_.

Ned's head snapped to his apartment window and saw his friend peeking from the side.

"Peter! Thank goodness you're here." He ran to the window and opened it.

"Haurgh, Ned," Peter breathed. "Can MJ and I come in?"

"MJ is here?"

Peter disappeared to the side and reappeared carrying a wind-swept-haired MJ in his arms. She crawled in first through the window, followed by him.

"Oh, MJ is here."

"You got a problem with that?" MJ crossed her arms.

"Nope," Ned said. "Any friend of Peter is a friend of mine."

"But I'm not just a friend of Peter," MJ said nonchalantly with a smug smile. "I'm his girlfriend now."

"Well, then any girlfriend of Peter is a girlfriend of mine."

Peter and MJ gave him a look.

"It made way more sense in my head."

"Anyway, we don't have enough time," Peter drew the curtains over to cover all the windows in the room. "I'm wanted by the NYPD, there's an APB on me, and I have no way of contacting the Avengers."

"Nick Fury isn't answering his phone for some reason," MJ added.

"He gets angry when I ghost him, but now, he's the one ghosting me!" Peter threw his hands up. "Ridiculous."

"Why don't you just turn yourself in and testify the truth? asked Ned.

"I was going to." Peter scratched his head. "But MJ said I should get a lawyer first."

"It's for the best," MJ cut in. "So that we know what to expect and we can plan on the best way to do it. We can't just hand him into them just for him to get an unfair trial with some dumb public defender. I've seen it happen too many times."

Peter nodded and pointed a thumb at MJ. "What she just said."

"Can we even afford an attorney?" Ned asked.

"I'll call May." Peter grabbed his phone from his pocket and looked at the screen. "Shit, I forgot I left it on silent. Three missed calls from you, one from Happy, and ninety-seven from Aunt May.

"Yeah," Ned said with a nervous laugh, "you better call her back."

Peter raised his phone to his ears, and even though it wasn't on speaker, Ned and MJ could hear May from the other side.

"_PETER_!"

-oOo-

"Have you phoned Peter yet?" Pepper asked, frantically shuffling through papers on her desk.

"Yeah, several times." Happy looked around. "He's not answering."

Peter wasn't going to call back regardless of how many times he was sent to voicemail. Teenagers are heartless bastards. They'll only talk to you when they want to. At least that's what he was like when he was Peter's age. One call was enough.

Pepper sighed. "I'm going to make a few calls with my PR team."

She stood up and left the room, leaving Happy to shuffle through the papers on her desk, pretending he knew what he was doing.

-oOo-

**July 31, 2024: 3:21 PM PDT**

Today was a hot day in Oregon, which was why Liz Allan decided it was a great time to go to the beach with her friends.

Driving her Hyundai Accent, Liz heard Ella gasp beside her. She glanced to the passenger's seat to look at her friend, who was staring wide-eyed at her phone. As expected, then followed the squeals of excitement Ella makes whenever a hot new gossip falls into her hands.

"What is it, El?" Brenda said from the back seat.

"Liz!" Ella screamed, "Stop the car!

"Stop making me jump!" Liz yelled, laughing. "Do you want us to crash?"

She found an exit and parked amidst Ella stomping her foot uncontrollably on the car floor. Her and Brenda's giggling made Liz all the more curious, if not slightly annoyed.

"What's so important that you had to get me to stop?" she asked.

"You remember your high school ex-boyfriend? Back in New York?"

"I never had a boyfriend in New York."

"Urgh," Ella groaned. "I meant your prom date who abandoned you."

Brenda squeaked in mirth.

"Peter? What about him?"

"It turns out, he was an Avenger, but I'm not so sure anymore."

Liz recoiled her head back in disbelief. "What?"

Ella showed Liz her phone. "It says here that he's Spider-Man, but he turned out to be a bad guy and killed the hot new hero, Mysterio."

On the screen was an article showing all the evidence proving that Peter Parker, the cute nerd from her old school, was indeed the person who was promised to attend her house party that one time several years ago.

Proving that Peter Parker, her failed date, was indeed the person who saved her from the elevator in the Washington monument.

Proving that Peter Parker, her old friend, was indeed the one who put her father in jail.

She couldn't believe it, but she quickly realized that it explained why Peter kept disappearing whenever Spider-Man showed up.

Still, she couldn't believe it. Because the Peter she knew would never do such a thing. It had been over six years since she saw him, but she remembered him vividly. He was a sweet, brilliant guy who just didn't have it all together.

-oOo-

**July 31, 2024: 5:34 PM EDT**

Mac Gargan sat across the table, facing Adrian Toomes in the chow hall.

"Morning, Toomes," he whispered. "Christmas came early."

Toomes raised his eyebrows. "Your boys smuggled the stuff in already?"

"Oh, uh, no," Gargan said. "I wasn't talking about that. I was talking about our…little spider friend."

The hair behind Toomes' neck stood up at the mention of Spider-Man.

"What about him?" he asked.

"It turns out," said Gargan, leaning forward, "He'd been your daughter's ex-boyfriend all along."

And just like that, Toomes felt the blood drain from his face. Gargan's red eye stayed on him. His partly-burnt face made him appear just as dangerous as Toomes knew he really was.

In a deep, quiet voice, Toomes said: "Really?"

"Really."

"I should've known." He did know; he owed his life to the kid. Still, Gargan thought he didn't, so he had to keep that pretense up if he wanted to stay alive to return the favour.

Gargan leaned back to his chair. "You must be very angry right now, eh, grandpa?"

Tooms hardened his face and shook his head slowly. "You've no idea."

"Don't you worry. We'll get him."

Gargan took something from his front pocket and handed it to Toomes. Holding up to his face was a small razor blade resembling a 6, and Toomes knew exactly what it meant. He looked back at Gargan.

"My boys from the outside are ready to get us out of here."

Toomes nodded. "I'd still like have the stuff I ordered."

As he stood up, Gargan softly chuckled. "Relax. There are plenty of Picante Chicken Ramen Noodle Soups in the outside world. You can eat all the street foods you want soon enough."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Firstly, I'd like to thank you all so much for reading this story. I know it's not much, but it's the most support I've gotten since I started writing, so your reviews and PMs mean a lot to me.

Sorry for making you wait so long; I hope this long chapter makes up for it. It's a little different since it focuses more on how they deal with Peter's situation rather than just reactions.

* * *

**July 31, 2024: 11:05 AM**

"You know," Ned said tiredly, "I think it would've been cool if Betty and Jason got to work on this vindication video."

"Sure," MJ mumbled. "If you want Peter to look desperate."

MJ found herself fighting off sleep after a long, tiring day. She and Ned were sitting in the lounge room at the new Avengers Headquarters by Long Island Sound, waiting for the news to play live on TV. With them were the Falcon, the Winter Soldier, and the Scarlet Witch. MJ couldn't be bothered to learn their real names, except that they were Samuel Thomas Wilson, James Buchanan Barnes, and Wanda Maximoff respectively.

Thanks to Mrs. Stark, Iron Man's former personal PR team have prepared a special news segment that aims to clear Peter's name. Apparently, although they were experienced in arduous matters considering their previous employer's numerous questionable actions, those were nothing in comparison to their present situation.

Knowing that Mrs. Stark was discussing plans with Peter, Ms. Parker, and Mr. Hogan in the conference room, MJ wondered just how close Peter's family was with the Avengers.

Still, she couldn't fully grasp the reality of his plight as a superhero. She's yet to swallow the fact that her absurd theory was right, and that he trusted her enough to confirm it.

Peter Parker is Spider-Man.

Adults in black suits walked past the lounge room and entered the conference room, followed by a reporter and his camera crew. MJ hadn't seen Peter since he departed from her to that room several hours ago. If she thought she had a stressful day, she couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Peter. His afternoon consisted of nothing but preparing, planning, recording, rehearsing, discussing, and arguing with adults on how they were going to prove his innocence. It seemed like a diminutive crisis with no end, and it felt like she would never see him again.

MJ had to resist the urge to kiss him goodbye, refusing to believe they were that close yet to be kissing in front of people. She was happy to be with Peter, but it was too early to even think about public displays of affection. They've only been together for a few days, and it was all new to her.

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the TV playing the breaking news intro.

"It's on!" Sam said excitedly, rubbing his hands together as he sat down on the couch between Ned and MJ.

"Don't get too worked up yet," Bucky said, arms crossed and remaining to stand up. "This isn't over until the whole public is convinced we're telling the truth."

"Propaganda time," Sam sang. "Oh, yeah."

"Go on, you two," Wanda said. "I suspect you both will be the ones interviewed first."

The two left to the conference room in a hurry, leaving the three of them watching the news.

"Nice to know that the new Captain America is a child," MJ said.

"I bet Peter can steal _his_ shield, too," Ned whispered.

"…was submitted to the New York Bulletin this morning, presenting an elaborate, yet compelling, defense for Spider-Man and Peter Parker, two different gentlemen…"

Peter had insisted on keeping the pretense that he was not Spider-Man.

"Peter, I have plenty of experience with public relations," Pepper had warned, "and if there is one thing I know for sure, it's that if people find a hole in your story, they will stop listening completely."

"I understand, Mrs. Stark, but they just can't know. I won't allow it."

He was relentless.

"…It should be noted that the controversial news website that released the shocking footage yesterday afternoon, the Daily Bugle, is not a credible source. They have, in the past, reported on spurious conspiracy theories and relayed them as facts. Their own host, J. Jonah Jameson himself, is an infamous advocate for the notion that the U.S. government uses chemicals to turn random children into mutants. He claims that these children are being sent to attend a private training school in North Salem, New York. You can take that information as you will…"

MJ had suggested that the New York Bulletin bring that up. It was an interesting conspiracy theory, but absurd nonetheless, even for her standards.

"…And now, we have Edward Brock with a few words from two Avengers. Over to you, Ed."

"Thank you, Karen. With me today are James Barnes and Sam Wilson, two Avengers members who are well acquainted with Spider-Man." Ed pointed the mic between the two. "According to my sources, you three have fought each other. What do you have to say about that?"

"Well," Sam said, "as you know, Bucky and I used to be enemies of the state, along with my old friend, Steve—rest his soul—because of the Sokovia Accords. So, Tony—rest his soul—recruited the kid to prevent us from escaping to go somewhere. There was no ill intent between the two teams, all right? Just different people with different objectives in the middle of a heated disagreement."

"And how would you describe your experience with Spider-Man?"

Bucky leaned towards the mic to answer, but Sam took it for himself. "Spider-Man? I can easily beat him up. No question. There's no way—"

Bucky slapped Sam's shoulder and stole the mic from his hands. "What Sam meant to say is that we did beat the shit out of the kid, you know, as a team. But not before he beat the shit out of us."

"What are they doing?" Wanda groaned from her seat.

Ned palmed his face, chagrined.

"What I'm trying to say is, the kid can easily kill _anyone_, but he never does because he is good at heart. There's not a bad bone in him."

"So, you're saying Spider-Man didn't kill Mysterio?"

"It would be uncharacteristic of him to do so. And all these talks saying how he wants to be the next Iron Man is bullcrap. He respects Tony Stark as a mentor and as a friend, and he would never dishonor him like that."

"I noticed that you refer to Spider-Man as a kid."

"Oh, yeah," Sam said. "That's just because he's so short. Shorter than Barnes here, even." That remark earned him another hit on the shoulder.

Ed nodded. "Do you have anything to say about Mysterio?"

"We don't know who the heck he is," Sam said, "that's for sure."

"Yeah," added Bucky. "We've never even met the guy. Only heard of him from the news, and even then, I'm not so convinced he can be trusted. As far as we're concerned, he was just a villain pretending to be a hero for personal gains."

"And what, do you think, did he have to gain from pretending to be a hero?"

"Fame? Popularity?" Sam scratched his head. "You know what; I think we should have Mrs. Potts—er—Stark answer this." He gestured over to his side.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Barnes." The camera shifted to Pepper. "Mrs. Stark, what do you have to say about Mysterio?"

"His real name is Quentin Beck, and he is a former Stark Industries employee who worked as an engineer. He assisted in the invention of the holographic system we call BARF but was later fired for his callous narcissistic personality. That may be the reason why—"

Ed snorted. "Wouldn't you say that your husband—"

"Will you please, let me finish," Pepper snapped.

"Sorry."

Pepper's voice quavered. "Beck must not have taken his dismissal well because…according to Spider-Man, Beck wanted the world to view him as the world's next renowned hero. He created a falsified narrative that he was a tragic warrior from an alternate dimension…"

MJ heard the pain in Pepper's voice as she explained Beck's story and his illusions. Losing a loved one wasn't anything new to her; her father disappeared when she was a baby and her mother died when she was twelve, leaving her with an abusive step-father. Still, it was moments like these that reminded her that bad things can happen to anyone. Now, she sees even the Starks in a different, more humanized, light.

"…shows that Beck had access to EDITH all throughout the Battle of London, and only when Spider-Man regained control did the drones stop attacking…"

A dataset showing records of executed commands and traces of the user's identity was put on screen for everyone to see.

"Thank you for that, Mrs. Stark," said Ed.

"My pleasure." She nodded and walked off camera, leaving Ed to talk to it.

"Up next, we have the seventeen-year-old boy who has been accused of being Spider-Man," Ed announced as Peter walked in. "His name is Peter Parker."

"Hi," Peter said nervously.

"The whole world was taken up by storm when Spider-Man's identity was revealed to be yours and that you killed the new hero, Mysterio. What do you have to say about that?"

"It's, uh, false." Peter slouched instinctively, making him look smaller. "All of them."

"That's interesting for you to say, Peter, because the rest of the world seems to disagree with you," Ed said softly as if Peter was an infant. "Are you aware of the discussions going on around the internet?"

"Yeah…" Peter said simply.

When he didn't say anything else, Ed spoke for him. "There are several talks about you and Spider-Man's eerily similar characteristics. Your height, for example. Your voice. The fact that—" Ed regarded the camera for emphasis, "—NO ONE, has ever seen you two in the same room together, even though Spider-Man seems to always be present wherever you and your friends go."

"Yeah, uh," Peter looked to his side, "Spider-Man is actually somewhere in this building right now."

The camera panned to where Peter was looking, only to show Happy Hogan.

"No, no, that's not him," Peter ran in front of the camera and waved his hands at it dismissively. "He's in another room, probably putting on his suit or something. He's had a long day."

That was a lie. The person supposed to act as Spider-Man was still on his way back to the compound, having already left in shame for his previous failures this past month in posing as a secret tactical group leader. Hopefully, he makes up by making it back in time and doing a good job this time.

"So you two know each other," Ed inquired.

"Yes, exactly," Peter said. "It's a weird story. Um, he—w-we met when I went to—I used to be in the Stark Internship as a computer scientist. And we actually hit it off real quick because we're so alike in many things—but also different in even more things, like how he's a superhero and I'm just a kid."

"Do _you_ know Spider-Man's real identity?"

"No, none of us do," Peter shrugged, starting to gain confidence. "He's very secretive like that. But we do happen to be fairly close friends, like, you know, in terms of how friendships with superheroes go. He even took me out one night when I was supposed to go to the Decathlon competition with my classmates in Washington D.C."

"Ah, interesting! What was he doing in Washington," Ed asked, "And why did he take you out?"

"He happened to be visiting someone there, and when he found out I was in town, he decided to show me around his place. The Avengers had a temporary bunker when Cap and the others disappeared…" Peter's voice trailed off. "But that's a completely different story I don't know much about."

MJ couldn't tell if any of what he just said was true or not. Somehow, Peter was both good and bad at lying. Technically, that must mean he is incredibly good at it, but realistically, it just means he's an incredibly dicey confidant.

"Do any of your friends know about Spider-Man?"

"No." Peter's face darkened. "He's a lonely guy. He doesn't get close to anyone easily. I doubt he has any other real friends besides me."

Ed chuckled. "That's bold of you to say. Why don't we take a commercial break so that he can come in for us once we're back on?"

An Old Spice advert came on the screen just as the door to the conference room opened. Peter came out with his aunt and an attendant gave them a glass of water to drink, during which MJ leapt out of her couch and slipped beside Peter. Ned followed sleepily.

"You alright?" MJ asked him.

"Yeah. That Ed guy is real nosy, though."

"Sure is," MJ said concernedly. "You look sick."

"Sick, like, cool sick? Or, like, fucked up sick? Or—"

"Yeah, never mind. You're fine."

"Is Spider-Man ready?" May worriedly asked the attendant.

Peter looked down the hall to see Spider-Man walking to them. "Oh, thank God. There he is."

"Nice," Ned said in awe, admiring the accuracy of the Spider-Man impostor.

He was the exact same height as Peter, with the exact same frame. Had the real Peter not been standing beside her at that moment, MJ would've thought he was the real one. Everyone present exchanged satisfied nods with each other before they returned to their previous places. Peter and MJ stayed for a little longer, however.

Looking into his eyes, she repeated her question more seriously. "Are you alright?"

"The interview's going great so far," Peter replied softly. "Don't worry, we'll get through this."

Their brown eyes locked and they stayed in comfortable silence for a while. Peter ran his fingers through his hair and MJ tucked a strand of her own behind her ear.

Slowly, they gravitated towards one another by some unknown force, and MJ realized her eyelids starting to get heavier. She reeled back awkwardly, suddenly feeling as if all eyes were on her even though no one seemed to be minding them as she looked around.

She laughed uneasily and tucked the stubborn strand of hair back behind her ear, glaring down at her shoes. Noticing Peter shift on his own feet, she quickly looked back up.

"See ya," she said with a light punch to his shoulder.

"Yeah," Peter scratched the back of his head. "See you later."

"Yeah," MJ sighed as she watched Peter return to the conference room.

Too early.

Stupid MJ.

Noticeably more alert than earlier, she walked back to the couch just as the news resumed from its commercial break.

"And now, here we have the man of the night! Spider-Man, welcome."

"Hello," Spider-Man said.

MJ's jaw dropped.

"Woah!" Ed exclaimed, "You and the boy sound exactly the same!"

"I know right," Spider-Man said. "It was quite a shock to both of us when Mr. Stark introduced us to each other."

"How interesting! Why don't we bring him back in? Just so everyone knows he's not you inside that suit."

Peter timidly returned into view of the camera.

"Wow, you guys even look the same! Are you twins? Are-are you two related?"

"Oh, no," Spider-Man laughed. "We don't look the same at all."

"And I'm sure I don't have a twin," Peter added. "Or brother. I doubt we're even remotely related. I haven't seen his face but he said he…has a…beard. Right?"

He looked at Spider-Man, who partly lifted off his mask to reveal a bearded chin of an adult male, with a distinctly more defined jawline. He also had a mole under his lips.

If they weren't looking for it, they would have missed it. Even to the less observant eye, it was almost too vague to notice. But MJ caught Peter's entire body stiffen and relax in a matter of seconds when Spider-Man showed the lower part of his face. His face remained a darker shade of pink, then.

"How interesting," Ed said. "What were you doing in Europe this summer July?"

Spider-Man pulled his mask all the way back down. "A tactical agent called me in to help take care of these Elementals that Mr. Beck was creating to make him look like he was fighting them for the good of mankind."

"It must be such a weird coincidence for you to be in Washington D.C. _and_ Europe right at the same time when Peter decided to go to those places respectively."

Spider-Man shrugged. "It _is_ a weird coincidence," he said as Peter nodded.

"Can you explain to me the truth of what happened between you and Mysterio?"

And so he did. Spider-Man recounted how he met Mysterio, his interactions with him, and what transpired in the Battle of London.

He told Ed of things MJ already knew, having spoken to Peter at length since they got together.

He also told Ed of things she didn't know, such as Peter being hit by a speeding train during an acid trip and ending up in a Netherlands jail cell.

The fuck?

"I am gravely sorry that you had to be involved in this, Peter Parker," Spider-Man said to Peter, whose head was bobbing in circles.

"It's alright, buddy. As long as no further harm is done."

"I'm sorry, but I've got to say," Ed forced a fake laugh, "it's hard to ignore how incredibly unlikely it is that you two are not the same person at this point. You two have to so many similarities! Same frame, same voice, same home city, and by an even more remarkable chance, you are both, in a way, connected to the late Tony Stark."

"Well," Peter said, "I only met Mr. Stark once and the internship is completely unrelated to the Avengers."

"And yet you two still somehow met each other."

"Through the Stark Internship, yeah," Peter clarified.

"I presume that is why Mr. Beck chose to frame him to be me, you know?" Spider-Man told the camera in a deep, resonant voice she knew Peter would never speak in. "Since we are so alike and whatnot..."

Unsurprisingly, that news segment didn't do much to really sway public opinion, but it did give them a chance to take control of the story.

-oOo-

**August 1, 2024: 3:30 PM**

Peter sighed tiredly as he rubbed his fingers against his temples to ease his headache. He hasn't gotten any sleep the night before because of all the extensive planning they've prepared after the news segment.

On top of the public not being satisfied with the news segment, another video was sent to the Daily Bugle showing Mysterio personally talking to Peter without his mask on. All social media sites exploded in speculation.

As a result, they arranged a press conference at a local clinic in Manhattan for today. This meant that they had to do everything they did last night, but live-live.

As in, in front of hundreds of reporters.

And hundreds of cameras.

Where he has to sell a story formulated in less than a day.

His headache could not get any worse at this point.

Peter had prided himself with his ability to lie ever since he got his powers. With all the recent events, however, he couldn't help but doubt himself and everything he did. Brad almost caught him putting on his suit, which he then reacted by sending a killer drone to his class bus. After that, he handed the one thing Mr. Stark trusted him to have over to Mysterio. To the man who tricked him into stupidly exposing everyone who knew the truth about the Elementals, putting their lives in danger. And now, everyone knew his big secret.

With great power comes great responsibility, but can he be trusted with that responsibility?

For a split second, he wondered whether admitting to the truth was the right decision after all, but all the reasons why he shouldn't flooded back to him at full force. He's too exhausted to be thinking clearly. Maybe he should try to get some sleep while he's waiting for the thingy to start.

He was out before his head even hit the couch.

Peter and Spider-Man were sitting on a table, facing a dark crowd yelling questions and flashing lights at their faces.

"How was Spider-Man's relationship with Iron Man?"

"He was like a father to me," Spider-Man said. "He mentored me when I just started out, and I have the utmost respect for him. I would never try to be the next 'him' because, well, no one can."

"Is Mr. Parker close to the other Avengers?"

"No," Peter said. "I've only briefly interacted with Mr. Stark once through the internship. Aside from Spider-Man, yesterday was the first time I met the rest of the Avengers."

"How did Spider-Man get his powers?"

"Uh…" Spider-Man said uncertainly. "I was…blasted with cosmic energy from an exploding aircraft."

_No, I was _not_!_ Peter thought._ This alien is not me! Why is he posing as me?_

"How old are you, Spider-Man?"

"I am twenty-seven years of age," Spider-Man answered.

_I'm seventeen! This fraud is getting everything wrong about me!_

"Does Spider-Man have a life outside of being a superhero?"

"Y—"

"Of course, I do," Peter cut in indignantly. All of a sudden, the camera flashes surged ablaze, and the dark, noisy crowd turned into a rowdy mob of people shouting questions all at once.

"That's right! I'm Spider-Man!" Peter turned to Talos. "You're an impostor! You lie! You don't protect the city! You're only protecting yourself!"

He tried to punch Spider-Man, only to shatter his wrist against his rock-hard body. Peter cried in pain and fell to the floor. A shadow grew nearer and he looked up to see Spider-Man looking down on him.

"I'm not a liar," Spider-Man said menacingly. "You are!"

His fist sped towards Peter's face, too fast to react to. All Peter could do was anticipate the incoming pain.

"AAARGH!" Peter sat up from the couch, extremely sweaty. The lounge room was dim, with the only light coming from the curtained window hinting the afternoon. He looked at the clock to see that it was 4:46 PM, which was four minutes before they have to drive to the clinic for the press conference.

"Peter." MJ ran to sit beside him. "Are you alright? Did you have a nightmare?"

Her hand running along his back allowed him to relax a little, though his heart kept beating fast.

"I don't know if I can do it…" Peter whispered.

MJ gathered him for a hug and remained quiet. She always knew just the thing to say, or not to say. Even though she didn't realize it.

She pulled away and they looked at each other's eyes. He wondered how he could've been so naive to ignore her all these years. She was the most beautiful person he knew, and she understood him more than anyone else ever could. He doubted he understood her as good, but all he could do was try his best.

She looked away when she realized they were staring for too long. She wasn't used to getting close to others, as she admitted, so he'll just be patient for her to learn that it's fine to be with him. He wasn't going to pressure her; he wasn't in any rush now.

The footsteps down the hall became louder so he looked past MJ to see Mrs. Stark walking towards them. He and MJ stood up to address her.

"Did I interrupt something?" she asked the two of them.

"Oh, no, no," Peter said. "We're not—we don't—haven't—"

"Peter had a nightmare," MJ stated concernedly.

"Nightmare?" Peter tried to look affronted. "Me? No way."

MJ looked at him as if his eyebrows disappeared.

"Fine," Peter said quickly. "It was about spiders."

MJ nodded dubiously.

"I'm arachnophobic, okay?"

Mrs. Stark laughed. "All right, I'll leave you two to deal with it." She turned and started walking away. "Just make sure you're down at the common area in two minutes."

Once Mrs. Stark was out of earshot, MJ chuckled and Peter groaned in faux embarrassment.

"Spiders? Really?" MJ smirked. "Are you sure you're ready to lie to the entire world?"

"Hey, I had all day to practice what I'm gonna say," Peter said indulgently. "I think I'll be fine."

"Well, good luck to you, Spider-Man," MJ said as they began walking in the direction Pepper had taken.

"I won't need it."

"Really? That lie you just told proves otherwise."

The drive to the press conference was quiet for everyone in the car, which gave Peter the time to sulk in his own mind. His dream had seemed so real, and he feared it would happen in reality.

At least he knew the roles in the press conference would be different. Instead of staying as Peter, he would be Spider-Man for the whole event. That way, he could perform his usual friendly neighborhood stunts to prove that he was the real Spider-Man. Talos, whose shape-shifting ability was limited to physical appearances only, would just have to act like Peter. What's even better, he won't have to hide his super strength.

It was the perfect plan, Peter told himself.

The crowd wasn't as big as it was in Peter's dream when he got to the stage. This eased his nervousness a little, but blood drained from his face again once Talos started talking as Peter.

"Hu—hello," Talos said in Peter's body. His Australian accent almost slipped out.

_Why does this alien even have an Aussie accent?_ Peter thought. _Do they have kangaroos in outer space?_

All questions that came up, they answered in part-truths and part-lies.

Why was Peter Parker seen talking to Mysterio in a bar? Peter is a victim of the first holographic deepfake in history. Please pity him.

Why does Spider-Man mainly operate in Queens when the rest of the Avengers are always being dispatched all over the world by the UN? Spider-Man gets homesick a lot. His wife has trust issues. A web house requires high maintenance. Please pity him.

Why did Spider-Man become Night-Monkey in Europe? The attention he got as Spider-Man had been very overwhelming lately, with all the requested autographs and solicited selfies, so he decided to try working undercover. Superheroes need to live normal super-lives, too! Please pity him.

Why doesn't Spider-Man just reveal his identity? His professional career as a male escort directly contradicts his superhero persona, so maintaining his anonymity prevents his mental state from being consumed by the moral ambiguity of his career choices. Please pity him.

"Gee, no wonder his wife has trust issues," someone from the crowd commented.

Why won't Peter Parker or Spider-Man take Beck's slanderous actions to court if they were right all along? Peter cringed at the realization of how much of a terrible idea that would have been, considering how they've been completely lying about one major aspect of the things he's been accused of. Instead, their answer was that neither participants have the time nor money to press charges on such a trivial case. Please pity them.

Each fabricated answer only brought up even more questions.

Did Spider-Man this? Does Peter that? Lie this. Lie that. Peter knew he should feel guilty for lying so much, but the protection of his secret identity was far more important.

Finally, the segment Peter has been dreading came up. Peter's suit increasingly became damper by the second. He noticed a drop of sweat trailing down Talos's forehead. This was it. This was the moment they've been preparing for their whole life since yesterday. It was time for personal questions.

"Tell us something only Peter would know."

Peter already regretted telling the answers to Talos beforehand. "I like ketchup on my chicken strips."

A wave of murmurs spread across the crowd of reporters.

"Disgusting."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Freak!"

"You need to get help."

"Penis Parker!" How did Flash get here? No, that voice sounded more like Brad's…

"You got anything else, psycho?"

Peter regretted this even more, now that he knew Brad was present.

Talos, seemingly unfazed by the insults being thrown at him, confidently answered: "I have a whole stack of cards left at home…just stuff I've written for MJ, who's now my girlfriend. I never did anything with them because I was too scared to give them to her."

At least that answer was met with a more wholesome response. He didn't hear Brad's voice, either.

"Also," Talos exclaimed, a finger raised to his front. "I have..." then pointed down to his crotch, "...a big di—"

"I think that's enough, everyone," Mrs. Stark interrupted. "Do you have anything to add, Spider-Man."

Peter's face was hidden behind two hands, wondering how his dick size was supposed to help their case. He certainly never disclosed that information to anyone. Ever.

He looked up to see Mrs. Stark staring at him expectantly and he sighed. Reluctantly, he stood up, leaned towards the mic, and said: "Thank you."

Waving goodbye, they left the stage with the crowd cheering for them. The public accepted their story! What a time to be alive! Peter high-fived Talos and Mrs. Stark. Everyone backstage cheered in celebration. Knowing that no one besides trusted individuals was allowed to enter, he allowed himself to take off his sweaty mask. He breathed in the sweet air of victory.

When he opened his eyes, the beautiful sight of MJ, flushed with joy, came running towards him, and just like that, his day was complete. Crushed under her hug, he savored the moment with their bodies pressing against each other. Out of the blue, MJ held the back of his neck and brought his head down into a deep, passionate kiss with reckless abandon.

Everyone else faded into the background, for at that moment, all Peter cared for was the girl in front of him. Beck was gone, and he was with MJ. Even so, he sensed them dispersing on their own, leaving the pair to themselves.

When their lips disconnected, she leaned over and whispered in his ear: "You're reading all those cards to me later."

-oOo-

Talos left the backstage, relieved that the whole debacle was over. Despite everyone's denial, he blamed himself for putting Parker into this messy situation. Had he been less trusting and maybe a little more paranoid like Fury, none of this would have happened.

He was still in Peter Parker's body, so heads turned to him as he walked by. Usually, Skrulls shapeshift into other people to blend in, not attract attention. He made his way for the restroom, wanting to get out of this body as soon as possible. On the way, he did a quick survey on a tall, black-haired young man who didn't particularly stand out. They made brief eye contact, but Talos shifted his gaze immediately.

In no time he was in the restroom stall, ready to change when he heard the door open and had someone come in.

"Peter!" the same young man called.

_Great,_ Talos thought,_ he followed me in, and now we're supposed to know each other._

He was trapped. There was no way he can shapeshift into someone without arousing suspicion. They were the only two people in the restroom, and the young man was looking for him specifically.

"Peter." There came a bang on the door to his stall. "I know you're in there."

"W-who's there?" Talos asked in Peter's voice.

"It's Brad, idiot."

"Hello, Brad idiot," Talos answered. "I'm Peter."

Several bangs to the stall door were what he got in reply. These two were obviously not friends.

Talos covered his ears, the clang echoing throughout the metal walls surrounding him. "I'm defecating, for Pete's sake."

"You think you're so great now, do you?" Brad said. "Everyone's got your attention, even my girl."

"Your g—oh, yes!" Talos's mind flashed to the girl the real Peter kissed backstage. "That MJ lady. She is very beautiful indeed, but she is neither your or my property. She makes her own decisions."

"Get out of that stall and fight me," Brad practically shouted. "Then, she can decide who best deserves her attention."

"I already told you, I'm defecating."

"Defe—what?" Brad's voice was getting more incredulous.

"I am excreting fecal matter!" Talos explained. "Surely, you Terrans do that! What are these toilets for, then?"

"You're not Peter!" The door slammed open, revealing the young man he intended to turn into.

Talos was left with no choice. With a single strike to the jaw, Brad was unconscious.

-oOo-

Brad's jaw stung like a bitch, and when he tried to massage it with his hands, he found them tied to the wooden armchair he was sitting on. He opened his eyes only to be met by the most beautiful face he'd ever seen looking down at him. Instinctively, he looked down to admire her cleavage, which was being pushed up by her red corset.

He noticed how she held her hands strangely in front of her, fingers moving eerily, surrounded by red mist. He then realized that it was the same red mist that was tying him down to his chair. Suddenly, his heart began to race at the realization of his situation.

At least he could still feel his phone in his pocket.

"What do you know?" she said with a faint Russian accent.

"I am being held down by the Scarlet Witch," Brad said automatically. "And my pants are getting too tight."

He bit his tongue. Why did he say that? Why does his tongue feel like it has a life of its own?

"What do you know about Spider-Man?" she clarified her question.

"The Peter in the press conference is a fake," he said despite his resistance. "That means he really is Spider-Man, which means it was really him who made me a target for a drone attack when we were on a trip."

"And how did you know this?"

"I saw my name on the EDITH database when the news showed it."

"What do you plan on doing with this knowledge."

"I plan on using it to blackmail Peter into giving up MJ back to me." Brad clamped his jaw shut, but his tongue and lips kept moving on their own, forcing him to tell his complete truth.

The Scarlet Witch stood straight up and crossed her arms, looking at him disapprovingly. She then nodded at the wall to the right, leading him to believe it was a one-way mirror from the outside.

His assumptions were proven right when the door opened and a familiar figure in red and black entered. It was Spider-Man, but this time, without his mask on.

So it really was Peter.

"You can release him now, Wanda," he told the Scarlet Witch. "Uh, thanks."

"My pleasure," she replied as she walked away, the tail of her leather jacket swaying behind.

Once he and Peter were alone in the room, Brad couldn't deny how intimidated he was. Peter's suit accentuated every muscle in his body, and boy does he have a lot of muscles. Mere push-ups wouldn't give him that. An air of authority also emanated from Peter, and Brad couldn't tell if it was because of the superhero suit, or because he himself was still sitting on the chair.

He stood up, aware that more people were watching. MJ was likely on the other side of that wall, meaning she heard his plans on how to get her back. At this point, he didn't care for her affections anymore. He just wanted to ruin Peter Parker's life.

He expected Peter to be angry with him, knowing how villainous he acted during his interrogation with the Scarlet Witch. So he was beyond surprised to hear Peter's usual quiet voice. Only this time, it was clear he was choosing his words carefully.

"I know you're angry with me," he said, to which Brad nodded. "I lied. I _am_ Spider-Man."

Brad chose not to say anything, so Peter continued.

"But you have to understand why I did it," he said as he took a step forward. Brad a step back, so Peter raised his hands. "I have enemies. Dangerous enemies. No, I did _not_ kill Mysterio. I was fighting him, he shot me, I dodged it, and the bullet ricocheted back to him."

"Why should I believe you? You just lied to the whole world!"

"Because I have reasons for protecting my secret identity." Peter lowered his hands. "I have enemies, and everyone I know isn't safe from them. If they find out the people important to me, those people become involved in this life I'm solely responsible for. They don't deserve that, and I can't have that in my conscience.

"Please, I'm saying this not as Peter, but as Spider-Man." His voice became softer and more sincere. "Help me keep my loved ones safe."

Brad closed his eyes and remained silent. At first, he thought didn't care about the safety of the people important to Peter, but then he realized that MJ was a part of that, too. If only she had chosen him, there would be no dilemma. She did this to herself…but no. He can't blame her for that. Peter had tricked her, just as he tricked everyone with his lies.

When he opened his eyes, Peter was right in front of him. His hands came up to his shoulder, and Brad returned the gesture.

"Do you understand me?"

Brad sighed serenely and nodded. "I understand."

Peter smiled and patted his shoulder. "Thank you, buddy."

-oOo-

**August 2, 2024: 10:39 AM**

Peter's eyes fluttered open to the bright, sunlit window of his room, and he sat up, energized. Last night was a stark contrast to the one previous to that. He slept like a baby spider, if spiders even slept at all.

His phone buzzed on his nightstand, and he dragged himself to take a look at it. He had to squint for his sleepy eyes to adjust to the dark screen underneath the sunlight. Once he read the chain of notifications, he had only one thing to come out of his mouth.

"What the fu—"

* * *

A/N: And that concludes this story! You can take that last part however you wish it to take it. It could mean something, it could mean another thing, or it could mean nothing. It's all up to you.

I just wanted to make this fic as canon-compliant as possible, so ultimately, the ending depends on however Marvel decides to handle the events of the mid-credits scene.

This was only supposed to be a one-shot, but because of all your support, I got inspired and decided to keep it going for a little while longer. Maybe, someday in the future, I'll come back to this story and write things the way I imagined things to pan out, but that's a _maybe_. For now, Revelation is complete.

Again, I'm sorry for the long wait. It's been a busy summer so I couldn't really work on this story that much. Please tell me what you think!... And thank you… once again, for all your feedback :)


End file.
